Summary The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene

HI, I’m German Mühlenberg autor of the book Seduction Simplified and in this post we are going to see the summary of The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene. First of all I want to say, I didn’t like the book, I approach seduction from another perspective. Having said that, The Art of Seduction is a seduction guide with reflections and stories, which is basically divided into two parts:

• Part One is “Seduction Styles”: Robert Greene describes 9 types of seducers, for which you should identify with one of them. Depending on who you identify with, will be key to the development of your attraction skills.
• Part Two is “Seduction Process”: The author offers 24 tips divided into 4 different phases on how to seduce effectively.

Part 1: Seduction Styles

Greene states that there are 9 types of Seducers in the world, and they have two elements in common:

1. They have an understanding of themselves and know what makes them attractive.
2. They understand their victims.

So the 9 types of seducers:

1- The Siren

Mermaids attract their victims with their appearance and seduction. But despite their prominent beauty, they stand out more for their exuberant and theatrical personality. The mermaid is the ultimate representation of male fantasy. It is what every man desires. Examples of the mermaid could be Cleopatra or Marilyn Monroe.

2- The libertine

The libertine adores the opposite sex and shows it through a voracious desire for the other person. They tend to stand out more for their social intellect than their beauty. They know how to use words to seduce, flatter and hypnotize. They tend to be the ultimate representation of female fantasy. The libertine offers women something that is hard to find, which is an experience of pure pleasure and an escape from oppression. A stereotype of this figure may be the Don Juan who was dishonest and disloyal.

3- The ideal lover

Ideal Lovers possess an aesthetic sensibility that they apply to romance. They can adapt to the mood of their victim, follow him, find what is missing in his life and provide it. Making themselves a perfect partner and an ideal lover in every situation. Casanova could be an example of the ideal lover, who studied the women he was looking for, found out what was missing and provided it. For example, he would give the boring wife an adventure and romance.

4- The Dandy

They are all the stylish, presentable and confident people we admire and wish to be. They break away from the social patterns that most people follow and that creates their own personality. They stand out for a special interest in personal appearance and material elegance, causing awe, and never being astonished.

5- The Natural

Naturals are spontaneous and open. They embody the lost qualities of the child: spontaneity, sincerity and unpretentiousness. They take their time and will hold nothing back. Their optimistic natural energy makes them bold and unashamed adventurers.

6- The Coquette

Flirts are self-sufficient. They are narcissistic and instead of pursuing, they let themselves be pursued. They stand out for delaying pleasure and making their victims wait, always playing between hope and frustration. They delude with the promise of reward (both physical, power, happiness), but being elusive – will make the victim pursue more intensely. These are some tips taken by the Mystery Method as the cat theory. You can see the summary on my channel.

7- The Enchanter

Charmers are very pleasant and social. They want and know how to please. They play on people’s vanity and insecurity to win their affection. They seduce us because they don’t talk about themselves, which makes them more mysterious. And because they are interested in their victims, it makes them relax and open up.

8- The Charismatic

The charismatic seducer is the type that walks into a room and steals the attention. They have a great deal of unusual confidence and inner energy. They are eloquent as they rely on the power of words and also leaders because they know how to lead and get people to follow them.

9- The star

Stars are the protagonists of great stories and always strive to put themselves on a pedestal. They attract everyone’s attention but, at the same time, they keep their distance and are untouchable. They are like dream figures to us, as if taken from a movie. And since they do not cross our path in everyday life, it increases the fascination of their victims.

The Anti-seducer

Seducers attract by the concentrated attention they put on their victim. Anti-seducers, on the contrary, repel. They are incapable of understanding the psychology of another person and themselves. They do not care about solving the problems they provoke, talk too much and lack the ability to create pleasure or seduce. In the book, is mention the importance of eliminating anti-seductive traits from ourselves and recognizing them in others. Dealing with these types of people is neither interesting nor pleasurable and Greene advises to stay away from them. Greene explains 8 types of anti-seducer, all of which have insecurity as a common attribute. And when insecurity is combined with another negative attribute, it creates a personality that eliminates any kind of attraction. They are everything that seducers are not.

If you want to know more about the 8 anti-seducers you can find it in the description.

Victims of seduction

Robert Greene defines victims as the targets set by the seducer. Everyone is a potential victim of seduction. The author defines 18 types of victims to be seduced according to their weaknesses, each with an important aspect they lack. However, Greene strikes an important note: Never target your own type of seducer as a victim. It’s a golden rule to follow: opposites attract. If you want to know more about of the 18 Victims of Seduction you can find it also on my website. Inside the description.

Part 2: Seduction Process:

1- chose the right victim:

It is important to strike a balance between pursuing people too hard and too easy. If we go with the first person who likes us we will most likely act desperately. And acting that way will destroy any attraction we generate in the long run. Let’s find pleasure in the pursuit. Anything that comes too easy is anti-seductive.

2- Create a false sense of security:

Never approach someone in a direct way. If you do, you risk creating some resistance that will only make things more difficult. Approach indirectly to move slowly toward the victim.

3- Send mixed signals:

What is obvious and striking may attract attention at first, but that attention is usually short-lived; in the long run, ambiguity is much more powerful. It is difficult to understand and will generate more mystery.

4- Appear to be an object of desire:

Think of yourself as a trophy for others to achieve. Another way to do this is to create love triangles to seduce and have them compete for you. Most of the time we prefer one thing over another because that is what our friends want or because that object has a social significance already marked. Our tastes and interests is a social consensus, in which, if someone or something is desired by several people, then there must be a good reason.

5- Create a need:

Provoke anxiety and discontent. People are always susceptible to being seduced, because in fact, everyone lacks a sense of wholeness. They feel that something is missing inside them. Bring the victim’s doubts and anxieties to the surface, and they may be led and attracted to you. The best victims are those who have an unmet need for adventure.

6- Master the art of insinuation:

There is no known defense against innuendo. It is the art of planting ideas in other people’s minds, leaving them clues that develop days later, even appearing to them as their own ideas (as in the movie Inception). Make everything suggestive. What moves the other person’s mind is saying what they want to hear. Hinting is effective because it avoids natural resistance.

7- Get into their spirit:

There is nothing more effective than making the seduced believe he is the one doing the seducing. Play by their rules, enjoy what they enjoy and adapt to their moods. In doing so, you will reach that person and lower their defenses.

8- Create temptation:

As the serpent tempted Eve with the promise of forbidden knowledge, you must awaken a desire in your targets that they cannot control. Find that weakness of theirs, that fantasy that has not yet been realized, and hint that you can lead them to it.

9- Keep them in suspense:

Keep them wondering what comes next?

Doing something they don’t expect from us will give them a pleasant feeling of spontaneity. They will not be able to foresee what comes next.

10- Use the demonic power of words to sow confusion:

Master the use of words, tone of voice and nonverbal language. Say what they want to hear. Learn to be expressive but not annoying, and you will conquer the heart you desire. Provoke people’s emotions with loaded, flattering phrases, console their insecurities, wrap them in fantasies and promises. And not only will they listen to you, but they will also lose the will to resist you.

11- Pay attention to details:

The secret is in the little things, whether in certain feelings, reactions, gifts or tastes. Sometimes a gesture can say much more than a thousand words or a personalized gift can be worth more than something very expensive.

12- Poeticize their presence:

Occupy their minds by demonstrating an exciting presence that they remember, as well as, keeping a good distance. Associate yourself with poetic images and objects. So when they think of you they begin to see you through an idealized fantasy. Feed their fantasies with subtle inconsistencies and changes in your behavior. You can be dangerous, naughty, even somewhat vulgar, depending on the victim’s tastes. But never be ordinary or limited. That will distinguish you among thousands.

13- Disarm through strategic weakness and vulnerability:

If you appear to be weak, vulnerable and unable to control yourself, you will make your actions appear more natural and less calculated to gain more confidence. By confessing some sin on your part you generate more empathy with your victim.

14- Confusing desire with reality:

Your task as a seducer is to bring some illusion to the other person’s fantasy. People want to believe in extraordinary things. Feed those dreams, make them believe they are achieving their aspirations.

15- Isolate the victim:

Separate her from her physical, emotional and mental environment, so she can focus even more on you.

16- Prove yourself:

If we are not being congruent with what we say and do, our victim will doubt our sincerity. If she shows resistance, don’t be afraid to generate a disinterested action. Don’t worry about making a fool of yourself or making a mistake.

17- Perform a regression:

Encourage your victim to talk about her childhood or past events. People who have experienced a certain type of pleasure in the past will undoubtedly try to repeat it and relive it. While the other is talking, you should be attentive and non-judgmental.

18- Stir up transgression and taboo:

Make victims feel that they are being pushed beyond the limits or the forbidden. People yearn to explore their dark side or do what they cannot.

19- Using spiritual lures:

Everyone has doubts and insecurities about their body, self-esteem, sexuality or beliefs. If your seduction appeals exclusively to the physical, it will awaken these doubts and make your victim self-conscious. Instead, make her believe that your union is a kind of spiritual destiny, which goes beyond the basic desires of normal people.

20- Mixing pleasure with pain:

Being too good can make the victim turn away from you. Erotic sensation depends on creating tension. Seduction should never follow a straight path to pleasure. You must play with pleasure, suspense, disinterest. Without all this, there will be no sense of tension relief.

21- Give them room to fall:

The pursuer is pursued. When victims wait passively, their erotic level is low. When they become pursuers, getting involved in the process, the temperature rises.

22- Using physical lures:

If the person we are trying to seduce is aware of that, then let’s be careful, they may doubt our manipulations. Let’s put their minds at ease without making them defensive. We must act in a relaxed and indifferent manner while our looks, voice and demeanor; get under her skin, raising her temperature.

23- Master the art of bold movement:

Find the exact moment to move forward. If you seem impatient, eager to have sex, then you will signal that your interest is purely physical and has nothing to do with the charms of the victim. But if you wait too long, you could generate another kind of insecurity.

24- Beware of after effects:

After a successful seduction there is a danger. Once emotions reach their peak, they will fall into disappointment. If you want to leave, be quick. An insecure victim will cling tightly, and you will both suffer. If you want to continue, they will need a second seduction.

Never let the other person take you for granted; use absence, pain and conflict to keep the seduced person hooked. Never rely on their physical charms; even beauty loses its appeal with repeated exposure. Only strategy and effort will combat inertia.

Conclusion:

I didn’t like this book, I think it promotes toxic behaviors and they don’t work in the long run. It does not seem to me to be good advice for the most part.  I also found it very difficult to read, it didn’t flow and the examples in the stories were confusing. I felt like I was reading a very old book. It has a half poetic feel to it which makes it too long to come to a conclusion. Personally, it’s not a book I would take as a guide on how to seduce.

I hope you found it useful and see you next time!